UK coach operator National Express to launch its own on-board entertainment app

National Express has announced that it will launch its own entertainment application for Android and iOS on November 28. VUER — short for View, Unwind, Enjoy and Relax — will be available for use on 282 coaches serving ‘key routes’ this year, before making its way to the firm’s entire fleet by June 2017.

At launch, users will be able to access TV shows, magazines, news and weather updates for free using their coach’s on-board Wi-Fi. However, once the service reaches all of National Express’ vehicles, movies, audiobooks, podcasts, city guides and live journey updates will also be added.

“We are thrilled to launch the UK’s first coach infotainment system, which will greatly enhance the travelling experience for the millions of people who use us each year and we’re particularly pleased to be the first to offer Sky Sports News,” said MD of National Express UK Coach, Tom Stables.

“Customers will benefit from films, TV and magazines – as well as news and weather updates – completely free of charge, leaving them free to truly unwind, relax and get the most out of their journey.” Although, Stables failed to comment on whether the system will support music streaming in the future.

Despite the application only launching on Android and iOS, National Express has revealed that Windows Phone users will be able to access a limited amount of content using their web browser. They will, of course, need to be connected to their coach’s Wi-Fi network in order to do so, though.